8.5 Molecular Polarity
Bond Polarity
Polar bonds, due to differences in electronegativity result in one atom being partially positive (𝛅+) and one partially negative (𝛅-). The larger the difference in electronegativity, the more polar the bond.
Determine the more polar bond in each pair:
C-O vs C-F C-F vs C-Cl
Molecular Polarity
Molecules with more than 1 polar bond may be termed polar or nonpolar depending on how polar each bond is
and the geometry in which they are arranged.
– If the polarity of all the individual bond dipoles ‘cancel’ the molecule is nonpolar.
– If the polarity of all the individual dipoles do not cancel then the molecule is polar.
